That’s the big mystery, now that a police report has come out on Handcuff-gate, the messy arrest of a 60-year-old disabled woman and regular council critic who exceeded her three-minute speaking limit at last week’s meeting.

The officer says the city attorney instructed him to “stop” Karen Wright if she exceeded the public comment time limit during the evening meeting.

But Sahagun’s arrest report says Priamos told him to “stop (Wright) from going too long past the three minute allotted time.”

Sahagun didn’t imagine the conversation. Priamos acknowledged making a “brief statement” to him. But Priamos said he did not, and would not, “issue any direction to the officer with respect to the removal or arrest of an individual.”

Is Sahagun lying? Heavens no, nobody is saying that.

Gardner had the best view of what happened; he sits closest on the dais to where Sahagun confronted Wright.

He said Wright had gone over her time limit several times in the afternoon session but each time went back to her seat when the mayor asked her to.

In the evening session, she continued talking despite Loveridge’s admonitions to wrap up her remarks. Sahagun walked from the back of the chambers toward her, Gardner said. She turned as if to go back to her seat, then returned to the microphone and started talking again.

The officer took her elbow as if to guide her away from the lectern; he didn’t grab her or throw her to the floor, Gardner said. It appeared she sat down on the floor or lost her balance and fell.

(Gardner’s description conforms with what I saw on the city’s video and video shot by P-E reporter Alicia Robinson, who was there.)

So how will city officials reconcile Priamos’ account with Sahagun’s about what Priamos told the officer?

Loveridge said the city attorney is getting his performance appraisal on Nov. 13, and the council will use the session to ask him about it.

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